1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the application and utilization of a water-soluble polymer on a surface. More specifically, the present invention relates to coating a surface with a water-soluble polymer, optionally together with a base material, to provide desirable properties, characteristics and/or attributes to the surface.
2. The Relevant Technology
The application of a polymer as a coating layer on a surface has proved to be a valuable asset in a variety of applications. One such application includes the use of a fluoropolymer, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (xe2x80x9cPTFExe2x80x9d), as a coating layer of a surface. PTFE is a durable, chemically resistant, nonflammable thermoplastic substance that is widely used to coat a variety of surfaces including metal surfaces.
In the area of manufacturing pans for cooking, a fluoropolymer, such as a Teflon(copyright), can be used as a non-stick coating layer. The non-stick layer facilitates the removal of food and other debris from the pan surface.
In the area of electrosurgery, fluoropolymers have been used to surface coat at least a portion of an electrosurgical tip to provide additional properties to the tip, including providing a non-stick surface and high temperature stability. Electrosurgery includes surgical procedures that use radio frequency (RF) electrical energy to cut tissue and/or cauterize leaking blood vessels. The RF energy is produced by a signal generator and is transmitted to an electrosurgical instrument, including a hand-piece and an electrode or tip, which is operated by a surgeon. The electrosurgical instrument delivers an electrical discharge to cellular matter of the patient""s body adjacent to, adjoining with, contiguous with, or juxtaposed to the electrode. The discharge causes the cellular matter to heat up in order to cut tissue and/or cauterize blood vessels.
The high temperatures involved in electrosurgery can cause charred matter to form and become affixed to the electrode or tip of the electrosurgical instrument. The buildup of charred matter can reduce the efficiency of the cutting and/or cauterizing processes by creating an insulating barrier that interferes with the transference of RF energy to the targeted area. By way of example, when cauterizing an area to prevent bleeding, the charred matter can inhibit cauterization, cause the destruction of additional tissue and increase thermal tissue damage. Thus, buildup of the charred matter can slow the surgical procedure as the surgeon is required to remove the charred matter from the electrode or tip.
While the anti-adhesion properties of fluoropolymers that have been used to coat an electrode or tip of an electrosurgical instrument have facilitated electrosurgical cutting and/or cauterizing by reducing the buildup of debris on the electrode or tip, it has not completely eliminated such buildup. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace the fluoropolymer coating with other anti-adhesion materials. Unfortunately, it has heretofore been difficult to adhere other materials to surfaces coated with a fluoropolymer because of anti-adhesion properties.
The present invention relates to the application and utilization of a water-soluble polymer on a surface. More specifically, the present invention relates to coating a surface with a water-soluble polymer, optionally together with a base material, to provide desirable properties, characteristics and/or attributes to the surface.
Implementation of the present invention takes place in association with a surface, such as at least a portion of the surface of an electrosurgical electrode or tip of an electrosurgical instrument that may be used to cut tissue and/or cauterize blood vessels of a patient during a surgical operation. A non-stick surface is established on the electrode or tip to reduce the accumulation of charred blood and/or tissue, known as eschar, at the electrode or tip and to increase the efficiency of the electrode or tip in cutting tissue and/or cauterizing blood vessels. Moreover, the non-stick surface facilitates the removal of the eschar from the electrode or tip.
A water-soluble polymer may provide desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics to a surface. For example, when the surface is a portion of an electrode or tip of an electrosurgical instrument, the water-soluble polymer may attract water to the electrode or tip that assists in cooling and/or lubricating the electrode or tip. The water-soluble polymer may create a low shear, sacrificial layer on the electrode or tip that protects and enhances the performance of the tip. Alternatively or additionally, the water-soluble polymer may supply a radical scavenger or inhibitor to reduce damage to the electrode or tip, deposit factors, such as healing factors, from the electrode or tip onto one or more contact surfaces of the patient""s body, or provide other desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics to the electrode or tip.
In one implementation of the present invention, a water-soluble polymer is advantageously used to at least partially fill one or more pores in a base material coating layer. Alternatively, the water-soluble polymer is used to at least partially fill one or more pores of a porous metal. In still another embodiment, the water-soluble polymer is used to at least partially fill cracks or voids formed in the substrate and/or cracks or voids formed in the base material coating layer. For example, in one embodiment, a process of electrophoresis is employed to draw the water-soluble polymer into the one or more pores, cracks, or voids to provide the desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics at the surface. An additional covering layer of the water-soluble polymer may optionally be applied over the base material coating layer or the substrate, such as a porous metal, to increase the desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics at the surface.
In another implementation, a water-soluble polymer is mixed into a base material, such as a silicone or ceramic, and a dip, brush, or spray process is employed to apply the mixture as a coating onto a surface to provide the desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics to the surface. As above, an additional covering layer of water-soluble polymer may optionally be applied over the mixture coating layer to increase the desired properties, attributes and/or characteristics at the surface.
While the methods and processes of the present invention have proven to be particularly useful in the area of electrosurgery, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the methods and processes can be used on a variety of different kinds of surfaces and in a variety of different areas of manufacture to yield a coated surface that has desired properties for performing a particular task.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.